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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In addition to a personal essayist, what kind of essayist is Samuel Johnson.
(a) Impersonal essayist.
(b) Progressive essayist.
(c) Anti-intellectual essayist.
(d) Moral essayist.

2. What reasoning does Plutarch offer in "Consolation to His Wife?"
(a) There is no sense in mourning someone who was released quickly from their earthly prison.
(b) Memories are nearly as good as the real person.
(c) There is little sense in praying, as there are no gods.
(d) There is no sense in mourning such a bad person.

3. Where is Plutarch traveling when he writes "Consolation to His Wife?"
(a) Germany.
(b) North Africa.
(c) Gaul.
(d) Tanagra.

4. Plutarch is known for his tenderness towards which group of people?
(a) Elderly women.
(b) Young women.
(c) Young men.
(d) Children.

5. Who wrote "An Hour or Two Sacred to Sorrow?"
(a) Richard Steele.
(b) Abraham Cowley.
(c) Joseph Addison.
(d) Maria Edgeworth.

6. What physical condition does Seneca discuss in a titular essay?
(a) Asthma.
(b) Leprosy.
(c) Blindness.
(d) Rickets.

7. How did Montaigne's father treat Montaigne?
(a) He indulged and spoiled him.
(b) He forced him to work in a linen factory at age 8.
(c) He abandoned him, and Montaigne was raised by his grandparents mostly.
(d) He whipped him cruelly for minor offenses.

8. In what century did Sei Shonagon live?
(a) 10th century.
(b) 6th century.
(c) 18th century.
(d) 14th century.

9. Which of the following labels BEST describe the writings of Montaigne?
(a) Ultra-conservative.
(b) Proto-feminist.
(c) Deconstructivist.
(d) Anti-individualist.

10. In "Of Books," why does Montaigne quote other writers?
(a) To further expand upon points he is making.
(b) To show how inferior other authors' works are to his own.
(c) To provide fanciful stories that break up the monotony of the personal essay.
(d) To include love poetry for his most important reader, his wife.

11. In "On Noise," what is necessary for a person to ignore the noise of the outside world?
(a) Excellent earplugs.
(b) One must venture into the world in order to quiet it.
(c) A goal to concentrate on with singular focus.
(d) Inner peace.

12. What does Montaigne admit in "Of Books?"
(a) He has not learned to read Latin, but intends to someday.
(b) No one has more educated views than himself.
(c) There are a lot of people with more educated views than himself.
(d) He admits to cheating on his wife.

13. What tragedy did Charles Lamb's family endure?
(a) Charles' mother was killed by his sister.
(b) Charles' father had an incestuous relationship with his sister.
(c) Charles' mother was arrested for armed robbery.
(d) Charles' father died from cancer.

14. What is wrong with the child in "Of A Monstrous Child?"
(a) The child is a criminal and menace to the town.
(b) The child was born badly deformed.
(c) The child was born with three eyes.
(d) The child had both male and female sexual organs.

15. What is the disposition of the eunuch Montaigne describes in "Of a Monstrous Child?"
(a) Miserable and suicidal.
(b) Cautious, and paranoid.
(c) Happy and free.
(d) Thoughtful, and wise.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is the implicit message of "An Essay on the Noble Science of Self-Justification?"

2. Who wrote "An Essay on the Noble Science of Self-Justification?"

3. To Plutarch, what is the greatest human bond?

4. What does Montaigne conclude in "Of a Monstrous Child?"

5. What does Montaigne have in common with Saint Augustine?

(see the answer keys)

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